Bhubaneswar: Odisha Police’s Cyber Cell has busted a “mule” bank account racket, arresting three individuals and identifying a fourth absconding mastermind.
ACP Suchismita Das of the Cyber Police Station said the arrested persons are Jitendra Kumar Khuntia (33), a field agent with a private bank, and two school dropouts — Rajesh Kumar Jena (34), a house painter, and Purushottam Behera (35), a taxi driver. Police are also on the lookout for the alleged gang leader, Krushna Chandra Behera, who works for another private bank.
According to Das, the accused floated a company, PP Hospitality and Services Pvt Ltd, in January 2026. Ostensibly set up for hospitality and manpower services, the firm was allegedly used as a front to open 25 benami accounts across 14 private and public sector banks in Bhubaneswar.
These accounts were then sold to cyber fraudsters operating from Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and other cities for ₹20,000–₹50,000 each.
Police have traced suspicious transactions worth over ₹30–35 lakh through these mule accounts. So far, two formal complaints linked to the primary account have been received — one from Odisha involving ₹5 lakh and another from Gujarat involving ₹30 lakh.
ACP Das noted an inter-state dimension, with 107 complaints lodged against another company linked to the accused, Biz Marf Private Limited, from various states across India. Investigations into these complaints are ongoing.
Given the apparent insider knowledge involved in opening multiple accounts, police suspect the complicity of other bank employees. Das confirmed that bank staff linked to these accounts will be brought under investigation.